harely taken poxxcxxion of their new Maiiliattati home when they have need of itx fortified. hidden chamhcr aka the panic room. ()ii their firxt night in the place. they are forced to take refuge there when three intruderx hreak in and what followx ix a tenxe. cunning game of cat and motixc. l'ioxlel' giyex xlitttlcx to her character lltitl the xcript docxn't dcxerv c. attd ol‘ the had guy x. Whitaker ix dolefttl aitd honourahle and Leto ix cartoon-like ax the loud-mouthed Junior. ('ineworld. l‘alkirk.
The Rainmakeri )5) 0.0 it"rancix l-‘ord ('oppola. LS. 1907) Matt Damon. Jon Voigltl. Danny l)c\'ito. l.i(vmin. lt‘x (irixham time again. ax idealixttc law xcliool graduate Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) dixcov CIN lllL' realiticx ol' :\tltet’lc;t\ lk'flétl
xy xtein when he lakex on a giant corporation running a monumental inxui'ancc xcam. (irixhaln and (‘oppola'x indignation at the iniquitiex of :\iiiercan capitalixm ix imprexxive. hut the tiliii‘x plot ix too cliched and predictable for their analyxix to make the itiipact it dcxerv ex. The acting. how ev er. ix e\cellent. ()deoii. Dunfertnliiic.
Read my Lips (Sur mes levres) ( IS) .0. (Jacquex :\udiard. l‘rancc. 2001 ) linimanuclle Devox. Vincent (‘axxeL ()livicr (iourmct. l l5nun. \thn a partially deaf xecretary ix partnered at work with an ex- coii colleague. a xtraiige relationxhip arixex. The two xcl otit on an elahorate crime xprcc. aitning to extract rev eiigc on cruel co— workcrx and trieiidx. l'nuxual camera techniquex and a largely unxentimental xcript enxure you're in conxtant colluxioti with the cliaracterx. The rcxult: a quietly dixcerning gaiigxter thriller xcvet'al notcliex aho\ c tlte xtandard llollywood fare. (inc-world. l'alkirk.
Resident Evil ( 15) C. (Paul \\',S. :\ndct‘xon. LS. 2002) Milla Jovovich. Michelle Rodriguc/. liric Mahiux. l00iiiin. llav itig xuccexxfully ptit .llortii/ Rom/mt into our cinemax. :\nderxon triex the trick again with a riotoux take on Rex/(lent lll‘fl. After a xccret experiment releaxex the l-Vii'tix into at) underground geitctic rexeai'cli facility klttm ax ‘l-llL' lll\L‘. .-\licc (J()\()\ Ic‘ltl ix lCtl inxide hy crack commandox Ram ()campo (Rodriguen and Matt :\(llxt)ll (Mahiux) on a mixxion to dixcov er what cauxed the leakage. lt'x action all the way. and ax with the gamex the further into the adventure we go. the more dilftcult the opponentx (/omhiex in thix caxe) are to o\ ei'comc. But the lllttt xw iftly dexccndx into an action llick littl' pt‘epuhexccnl ltoyx. llL‘ttcL‘ all Hi 1—'I‘atuitoux xhotx ol Jo\o\ icli'x conxiderahle lttleltlx. SL‘lL‘L‘lL‘tl releaxe.
Return to Never Land it') 00 (Rohitt Budd «k Donovan ('ook. LS. 2002) \oicex of llart‘iet ()w en. Blay ne Weav cr. ('orey Burton. thcmin. \Vendy liax grown up aitd now hax two children of her ow ii. The ()ltlL‘xl. Jatte. having \\ IlttL‘\\L‘(l lllL‘ devaxtation cauxcd hy the hlit/krieg conditionx of World War ll. no longer helie\ ex iii Peter Pan and xtoriex of ‘faith. truxt and pixie duxt'. That ix until the night hcl'ot'c xhc ix to he evacuated to the
country xide. when ('aptain llook kidnapx her mixtakenly heliev ing that xhe ix Wendy. Jane t'cdixcoy fix the llittglc unfortunately the \ iew er docxii't. liverything about the lilm ix dated. from plotting to animation. Selected releaxe.
Schindler’s List I IS) 0000. (Steven Spielhcrg. LS. 1993) l.iatii \ccxon. Ralph l-'ieiiiicx. Ben Kiiigxlcy. 195mm. During \\'\\'2. German indtixtrialixt atid .\'a/i l’arty meiiiher ()xkar Schindler xav ed the livex of over a thouxand Jew ixh employ eex hy demanding they work in hix factory rather than he xent to :\ll\cli\\ll/. Spielherg'x iiiiigtiilicciit movie and Neexoii'x
performance capture thix enigmatic hrand of
heroixm. while depicting traumatic eventx in documentary like hlack-and white imagcx. l’xychologically complex. emotionally devaxtating and artixtically niipeacliahle. thix ix one of the hcxt liliiix cyct' made. ()deon ("ity (‘cntie (ilaxgow. Scooby-Doo ( l’( i I .. (Raja (ioxncll. LS. 2002) l'icddic l’t‘m/e Jr. Sarah Michelle (iellat'. Matthew l.illat‘d, 37min. Si uu/n the HM“ te xtartx well. pitching tlxcll xotticwlieic hclw ccn tiihutc and xcud up ol
Still
lltc llanna-llarhct'a cartoon. The caxting ix axtutc. lk‘xl (d all. Matthew l.illttt'd ztx xlotted xlackct' Shaggy. liy en the cotiiputer— generated Scoohy hiiitxclf ixn't lackitig in charm. But Sum/n -l)oo xadly failx to live tip to the promixe of itx opening reel. .r\diiiittedly. the liliii'x hold playpen colourx are fun and there are xome clev cr gagx that will xcore with the xhow ‘x pothcad following. But the iokex xoon wear thin. (ieneral releaxe.
Snow Dogs (1') 0. (Brian Levant. LS. 2002) (‘uha (ioodiiig Jr. Jamex ('ohui'n. \ichelle \icliolx. ‘Nmin. 'l‘hix unremarkahle l)l\t)L‘} c‘olltctly lolloux a \ltattti-ltaxctl dentixt ax lie dixcov erx liix prey iouxly unknown lixkimo rootx. Though competently made and featuring a reliahle lead and caxt. it xtill xtrugglex to raixc a decent lattgh. Not unwatchahle. htit nothing xpecial. SelL‘L‘lcd releaxe.
La Spagnola ( I5) 000 (Steve Jacohx_ .-\uxtralia. 2002) Lola Marceli. Alice .»\nxara. Lourdex Bardoloiiie. ()0min. .\ hlack comedy drama ahottt loy c and revenge. dexpair and xurv ixal. [.11 S/iiietio/u ix xct in the .-\uxtralia ofl‘)(i0, The lilm’x prevailing xpirit. however. ix emphatically Mediterranean. atid Lola. the Spanixh woman ot the title. ix a walking compendium ol Latin clichex: \quptuoux. fiery atid operatic. When her fellow immigrant liuxhand Ricardo dexertx her Lola plotx rey engc. hilt it ix her neglected daughter .-\lice who xeenix likely to hccome the main v ictitii of her ohxexxion. Some will lind l.it S/munu/it'x humour and itx cultural xtereotypex a little crude to their taxtc. l‘or otherx. itx hleiid of cotnedy and melodrama will prove deliciouny piquant. Sec rev iew. l‘(i(‘ Renfrew Street. (ilaxgow. Spider-Man ( I2) 0... (Sam Rainii. LS. 2002) ‘l'ohcy Magtnrc. Kit'xteii l)unxl. l2lmm. .\ hig hudch hlockhuxter haxed on a hcxt xcllmg xupct'hcro comic hook you'd he right to expect xpectacular effech and hlatid xtorytelling in a flaxhy htit ultimately dull lllltt. (io xec .lttitiA ut I/It’ (‘luni'v for that particular cxcrctxc tn hringttig tn the lto\ ollicc lntckx .S/m/i't lit/II. l\_\ cottltaxl. ix .i dcltglitlully unexpected llll\ ol
fast
xpectacle and engroxxing human drama. lt'x
xurprixing that Raiini. who made hix name
with the highly xty lixed genre paxtiche ('I‘Iic'
Ill/l Dun!) xhould focux xo much on character. The caxt acquit themxelvex well. althouin l)afoe Iiaiiix tip the \ illainy. But
Raimi'x lead. 'l‘ohey Maguire. hringx juxt the
right amount of know ing humour to l’arker/Spidcy. which ix emhlematic of Raimi'x whole. winning approach to the lilltt. Selected releaxe.
Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron (l') 0.. (Kelly ;\xhury and Lorna (‘ook. l'S. 2002) Matt Danton. Jamcx ('rotiiw ell. Daniel Studi. 34min. Spirit ix an animal fahle in which none of the non-human cltaractcrx xpeak. We do. how e\ er. get inxide the heart and head of the movie'x
cpony moux equine hero thankx to narration
hy Matt Damon (com eying Spirit'x thoughtx) and xotigx hy Bryan .-\dam.x (hix feelingx). Ahoy c all. Spirit. a wild muxtang living in the ()ld Wext. yearnx to run free until a Iaxxo Iandx him in the handx of the LS cavalry. \Vhilc xonie \ iewerx w ill he rouxed hy Spirit'x quextioning of the LS myth of Maiiifext l)extiny. otherx w ill he xtii‘red hy the quality of the animation. which xeamlexxly integratex traditional hand-draw n animation with computer- generated intagex. Selected releaxe.
Spy Kids 2 - the Island of Lost Dreams (l') 000 (Rohet'to Rodrigue/. LS. 2002) Alexa \‘ega. Daryl Sahara. Roherto Rodi‘igttel. (‘arla (itigino. thcmin. Taller and conxidei'ahly tnore tenacioux. ('ai‘mcn and Juni ('orte/ are feeling pretty damn coiilideitt after xaving
their xuper xpy parentx from peril in the fier
inxtalment of what will undouhtcdly hecomc a family adventure xeriex. .\'ow
xery ing in art all new Spy Kidx xuh-divixion
of llte ()SS oi'ganixation. the plucky prepuhexcentx are all xet for their lirxt xolo iiiixxion l.iki w here they iiitixt locate and dextroy a 'l‘ranxmooker dev ice capahle of xliutting down all electricity on earth. Although thix xequel docx not. could not match the
originality ol S/n lx't'ilv. it'x xtill great fttti to
watch. (icttclal tclcaxc.
er, cooler, smarter, taller - Spy Kids 2
to dixcov er the loxt ixland of l.iki
index Film
Stuart Little 2 (ll) .0 (Rob Minkoff. l'S. 2002) Michael J. Fox. (ieena Davix. Hugh Laurie. 77min. The inevitable money-xpinning xequel to the unlikely yarn of a xmall. white mouxe adopted by a middle-claxx New York family. A new playmate for Stuart arrivex in the xhape of a mud] canary. who fallx into the paxxenger xeat of hix toy car ax Stuart racex through the city xtreetx. Stuart invitex hix new friend hack to hix houxe. hut aii evil falcon ix on hix tail. lt doexn‘t get any more twee than thix. The voicex work well enough and the (‘(il animation ix good. if not adventuroux. The problem ix that it'x dixtinctly lacking in humour. for both kidx and adtiltx. (ieneral releaxe.
The Sum of All Fears ( )2) 00
(Phil Alden Rohinxon. 1S. 2002) Ben Affleek. Morgan Freeman. Alan Batex. min. In 199.13 (‘leur and Present Danger. Tom ('Iancy'x heroic xpook Jack Ryan wax promoted to Deputy Director of the (’IA. liight yearx on. he hax inexplicably heen demoted to junior analyxt. poxxihly hecauxe he'x loxt two decadex off hix age and ix now etnhodied hy hunky Aflleck inxtead of haggard Harrixon l‘ord. But if Ryan hax gone hackwardx. the world liax inoxt definitely moved on. The xetting ix the prexent and a nuclear warhead hax fallen into the handx of a grottp of terrorixtx funded by Batex’ neo-Na/i induxtrialixt. The Sum Ufle I-i'urs' makerx would like you to believe they have their fingerx on today'x geo-political pulxe. hut the lilm'x evaxionx (the hook‘x terrorixtx are Arahx) and varioux plotting iiiiplaiixihilitiex are fatal llawx. See review. (ieneral releaxe.
Talk to Her ( l5) (l’cdro Almodovar. Spain. 2002) l 12min. Preview xcreening of thix top notch tear-jerking drama from Spanixh geniux Pedro Almodovar about two women in a coma and their lexx than communicative hoyfriendx. l'(i(‘ Renfrew Street. (ilaxgow.
Tape ( 15) 0.. (Richard Linklater. LS. 2002) lithan llawke. l'ina 'l‘hurman. Rohert Leonard. 86min. A reunion of hiin xchool friendx Vince (llawke) and Johnny (Leonard) turtix xour when Vince accuxex Johnny of raping hix childhood xweetheart. The dialogue xpicex tip when the girl iii quextion. Amy ('l‘hurnian). turnx up and dextroyx the picture of a rape that the guyx have built tip. liach verxion of that nightx eventx juxtiliex the protagonixt’x perxonal xtandpoint. xo it’x difficult to know who to helieve. Set entirely in a motel room and played out in real time. the theatrical rootx of 'Iii/ie. adapted from a Stephen Belher play. are accentuated by Linklater who optx to film in the xtyle of the great (ierman auteur Rainer Werner liaxxhinder lT/lt' 'I‘eurx of Petra Hm Kant. in particular). l'(}(' Renfrew Street. (ilaxgow. Thunderpants (P( i) .0 (Peter llewitt. l'K. 2002) Bruce ('ook lll. Rupert (irint. .\'ed Bcatty. 05min. .-\ crap kidx' flick that iindx farting funny. not once or twice. but the whole film through. The ability to paxx gax of epic proportionx rextiltx in humiliation and eventual xalvation for the lilm'x eleven-year-old protagonixt. Skip thix hour and half of crap fait jokex. Selected releaxe.
Min Peaks: Fire Walk with Me ( )8) C... (David Lynch. [S 1992) Sheryl Lee. Kyle McLachlan. Ray \\'ixe. 135mm. The move to the hig xcreeii to chronicle laxt xeven dayx in the life of Laura Palmer allowx Lynch to go to greater excexxex than in the TV xeriex. A dark-hued and dixturhing miaxma of xmall-town corruption and perv erxity. tilled with l’eakie favex and new cameox. l'('l. (‘Iydehank.
Unfaithful ( 15) 0.. (Adrian Lyne. LS. 2002) Diane Lane. Richard (iere. ()livier Martinel. l23min. .-\.x a re-make of ('laude (‘hahrol'x 196‘) thriller I.u I'i'lllllu' Iii/ii/elc. 'I'lii' ('n/ititli/iil ix a pretty tirexome effort. Diane Lane doininatex the film ax Richard (iere‘x dutiful hut horcd wife. who hax a chance fling with French hottie ()livier Martitiel. The tilm playx otit like a tedioux follow tip to Lyne'x own Fatal
Attraction. thix time with the (iallic tiiale
loy er ax the pxyclio. Magnum 'l'heatre. ll'\ itic.
A...) THE LIST 15